She’s accused Republicans of wanting to reinstate segregation and of waging a “war on women.” She has asserted, somewhat nonsensically, that the GOP wants to make illegal immigration — by definition against the law — “a crime.” She’s also been mocked for driving a foreign car after pounding Republicans for not supporting the American auto industry.

Read More at

Newly elected Maine Governor Paul LePage, in one of his first acts in office, signed an executive order allowing state agents to check immigration status of individuals they come in contact with. Gov. LePage’s order rescinds a previous executive order that prevented state agencies from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status.

A spokesman for the governor said he wanted to remove the impression that Maine was a safe haven for illegal aliens, and a place where they could get driver’s licenses and social services.

“We have got many fiscal issues, and I’m intending to take care of Mainers first,” Gov. LePage said.

Gov. LePage signed the executive order last Thursday.

Huckabee has also showed a tendency to tax and spend during his time in the Arkansas Governor's office, supported the Fair Tax and is soft on the illegal immigration issue, which all add up to him not being a viable candidate for the Republican Party.

I realize that he has been polling well, but, IMHO, under the withering fire of a primary contest and the glare of debates, the electorate will conclude that we don't need to nominate a squishy, psuedo-conservative.  We've had just about all the "squishy" that we can stand.]

~~John Cronin~~

By: Ben Smith

Politico

A new national CNN poll shows that Sarah Palin lost ground among Republican voters, with 49 percent backing a potential presidential bid. That’s an 18-percentage-point drop from when the same question was asked in December 2008. On the other hand, Mike Huckabee is showing formidable strength:

Two-thirds of Republicans questioned say they would likely support Huckabee as their nominee in 2012. The former Arkansas governor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate is considering another bid for the White House. So is another candidate from the previous presidential election, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans say they would likely support Romney. That number drops to 54 percent for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, who is also contemplating a run for the White House.

The San Antonio Congressman who is in line to become chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee is promising ‘a number of investigations and oversight committee actions’ which he vows will ‘hold the administration accountable,’ 1200 WOAI news reports.

Veteran Republican Lamar Smith, a Yale graduate and social conservative who grew up in the brush country of south Texas which is now transit point for illegal immigrants and drugs, said in a news conference that a number of issues will come into the sights of his committee when he takes the chairmanship in January, from cracking down on child pornography to taking the Obama Administration to task for failing to do enough to protect the southern border.

Smith says it is his Constitutional duty.

“Part of that checks and balances is in fact holding the administration accountable, is in fact insisting on more transparency, is insisting on more honesty, and getting the facts,” Smith said.  “Right now, because of the one party monopoly, the Administration has been able to dodge any kind of supervision, any kind of oversight committee action, and they refuse to testify, and that is no longer acceptable.”

Smith, 63, says he says he has spoken to Speaker-designate John Boehner and has been told that he will move to the chairmanship of the committee.  He has been ranking Republican on the committee for four years, and also headed the House Ethics Committee during the previous Republican majority.

Smith repeatedly attacked what he called the ‘one party control’ which has allowed the Administration and majority Democrats to ramrod their position on key issues like health care and border security through Congress.

“Right now, we’ve had one party control all aspects of our government, and the result of that is that the American people have only gotten one side of a lot of issues,” he said.

One thing that Democrats openly expressed their concern about is the ability of Republicans like Smith, chairmen of key House committees, to use the Majority’s subpoena power to compel testimony on a whole host of issues.  Smith says their concerns were justified.

“There are going to be a number of investigations or oversight committee actions, trying to get to the facts,” he promised.

Smith cited national security and the threat of terrorism will be a key area that the Judiciary Committee plans to take action quickly, and said border security, an issue always close to Smith’s heart, will also take top billing.

“We need to have better national security and border security.  We need to know who is coming across the border, why they are coming across illegally.  We need to reduce the huge amount of drug smuggling and immigrant smuggling.”

Read more at……..http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=7797170

~~John Cronin~~